Lightningbugs Don't Fly In Winter
by Iced Raspberry
Summary: Just a fluffy little Knuckles and Rouge songficcie, low rating cause it's just sugary-sweet. Read and review, I'm sure you'll like it if you like the coupling!


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Author's Note:   
  
Hello, all. Look at me; I'm the freaky newbie! Not totally, though, I'm new neither to Sonic nor to writing, so do give me a chance. I used to watch SatAM faithfully every Saturday, though I've only played a few of the games, SA2:Battle being my favorite. When I was little I used to tell my mother I was going to marry Tails...though since I grew up and he didn't, I'm after Knuckles now.   
  
This fic is a little fluffy peice I wrote after hearing the song "I'll Be" on the radio on the way to a party for Memorial Day. This whole ficlette was playing out in my head all night after that, and I had to write it down. After all, how many other songs have a line that says "emeralds from mountains thrust toward the sky" in them? *lol*   
  
  
Rating: G, for it's just fluffy like Cool Whip Pairing: Knuckles/Rouge, my fave! Disclaimer: Don't own Knux or Rougey, but I do own Tekka, but he's not that important in this anyways. The song belongs to Edwin McCain. The fic, however, is mine.   
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Lightningbugs Don't Fly In Winter   
a songfic by   
Iced Raspberry   
  
  
The air had a definite chill remniscent of the crunching snow that sparsely covered the ground. The cold was not a cozy winter's frost; it was a lonesome and saddened feeling that permeated the atmosphere, and the deepest longings of one solitary echidna by the name of Knuckles. He stood, blinking his large amethyst eyes, pondering his sheer lonliness. Winter always made him feel that way, though this year he had vowed to do something about it. He had spent weeks trying to walks to the home of his so-called rival, Rouge, in the snow and cold, and he could not help the faint shadow of a smile that lit up his face for a half-second. Somewhat grinning, he dashed to the window of a decent, though small, house and stood on his toes to peer in the window.   
  
What he saw suprised him: his rival-turned-friend gingerly cradled a small child who was obviously wide awake despite the late hour. Knuckles stared at the minute creature, figuring out momentarily that it was a young male, a bat like his friend. He could not keep from wondering where it had come from. Last he had seen of Rouge, she definitely had not had a child. Her expression was annoyed as she stood, placing the little boy on the floor, and began looking for something. Knuckles sighed and turned to go, his lonesome heart quite heavy with this new knowledge that his friend was much too preoccupied for him at the time.   
  
He was almost out of earshot when the frantic cries caught his attention.   
  
"Tekka! Where are you? Where did you run off to, Tekka?"   
  
Knuckles wasted no time in rushing back to the house, though he kept himself well-hidden as he watched Rouge. He began to feel himself growing ever fonder of her, just standing there watching. He caught himself in thought, even as he mentally chided himself for even thinking that she was looking beautiful that night.   
  
**The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful Stop me and steal my breath And emeralds from mountains thrust toward the sky Never revealing their depth**   
  
He sighed. She was beautiful, there was nothing that would change that. His mind was set on her gorgeous, though worried, eyes, her entire face, her fluid motions as she frantically searched the house, calling for Tekka. She was beautiful, and though he cursed that thought mentally, he could neither deny it nor change it; deep in his heart, he was glad for thinking it. They had been rivals, but had changed over to their ways of friendship over the course of about a year. He just had never allowed himself to break down and feel something so different and confusing as what he felt as he stood at the side of her house.   
  
He shut his eyes and shook his head. No way could he be falling in love with Rouge, of all people! She seemed a bit wild for his tastes, ater all, and she had worked on the side of evil, that was a well-known fact. He had never bothered loving anyone before; why should he start now?   
  
Yet...he could contradict each and every one of his mind's reasons for not having those feelings. Sure, she seemed wild, but she really wasn't that bad. Yes, she had worked for evil, but not to evil's avail. And of course, there should always be a first time for everything...   
  
A thought struck him. What if he just ran up to her and told her? The worst she could do was laugh in his face, right? Well, he'd been lauged at before, even by her. So nothing would be hurt by his proclamation. Surely being direct was the best way to go about things   
  
Without even thinking out what to say, he decided quickly. He figured it would be like a moment from a movie, dashing and romantic and such. He set off to the front of the house and managed to run right into the very person who occupied his thoughts.   
  
**Tell me that we belong together Dress it up with the trappings of love I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above**   
  
"Knuckles!" she exclaimed.   
  
"Ah! Er, hello, Rouge," was his mumbled reply.   
  
"What are you doing here?"   
  
"Oh, I just..." he paused a moment, ran a hand through his hair, and continued more smoothly, "I'm just getting tired of winter, is all, so I came to visit."   
  
Slightly flattered, though much more worried, Rouge quickly changed the subject. "Have you seen a little boy around here?"   
  
"No, I haven't, but I'll help you look. I noticed you lost him," he added quickly, hoping she would not think he was spying on her.   
  
"I could use all the help I can get, treasure hunter," she replied.   
  
He shifted a bit nervously, focusing all his attention on his feet. "So, uhm,' he coughed, "how should we start?"   
  
A few very obvious tears welled up in her eyes but she help them back almost expertly as she sighed. "Well, I don't htink he got very far, he's so small and he can hardly walk anyway..." She took a deep breath, but allowed tears to escape. She was terribly worried, and even as she brushed away the salty rops on her face, her heart sank in fear.   
  
Knuckles could sense her worry. Gingerly he placed a hand on her shoulder, surprising in striking contrast to his usual personality. His eyse glinted as he finally looked at her.   
  
"We'll find that little kid, don't worry. I'll help."   
  
Rouge's smile in return was grateful.   
  
**I'll be your crying shoulder I'll be love suicide I'll be better when I'm older I'll be the greatest fan of your life**   
  
"I bet if we had something to lure him out with, this would be easier. Is there something he really likes? A favorite food, or toy?"   
  
Rouge spent a moment in thought. "There's a blanket he always packs around. If he didn't take it with him, we could use that. I'll go inside and check; you can come on in and look around if you want to." She went into the tiny house, Knuckles close on her heels.   
  
The front door opened into a very small living room strewn with toys, a playpen haphazardly erected in the corner. To the left, a swinging door stood open just enough to showcase a filthy kitchen full of dishes standing in grime. The little building was completed by a small bathroom and bedroom, where she entereed and began picking things up, searching. It, too, was messy; the bed remained unmade, a small cot on the floor stood halfway assembled, and pils of dirty clothes littered the floor. Knuckles gaped at all of this, startled that Rouge would allow her home to fall into such a mess.   
  
She noticed his suprise. "Yes, it has gotten really disgusting. But I guess that's just remniscent of how I am--all nice on the outside, but turned upside-down inside."   
  
Silently he began to look around for what resembled a banket. He almost did not even want to touch anything, it was all so grimy. They had not been looking long, however, when Rouge stood up quickly, grasping a blue, fuzzy peice of material.   
  
"This is it!" she proclaimed, smiling as though she had just won the lottery. The sight of her getting so excited over finding a blanket was just too much, and Knuckles burst into laughter.   
  
"Don't laugh at me!" she cried, though giggles began bubbling up inside of her as well, all to escape in a high-pitched gale. She sat on the edge of the unkempt bed, Knuckles joining her, both of them trying to calm their laughter. At that very moment, the heavy clouds outside opened up, and rain began to pour, a cold rain, just warm enough to not fall as snow.   
  
**Rain falls angry on the tin roof As we lie awake in my bed You're my survival, my living proof My love is alive, and not dead**   
  
Soon after, the two set off, fuzzy blanket in tow. Rouge clutched it tight and tried to keep the rain from it as they trekked through the slushy mess. Knuckles couldn't tell for sure, but he was almost certain that tears mixed with the rain falling down her face. They began to run ever faster as the rain turned to sleet, and it was because of their increased speed that they both hit a particularly muddly spot and fell to their backs almost simultaneously.   
  
"Oh, it's hopeless at this rate!" Rouge wailed, sitting up and examining the mud splattered across her clothes.   
  
"It's not hopeless," Knuckles replied gruffly. "Just don't talk like it is." He stood up, offering her a helping hand.   
  
She was past worry. Even as her friend's strong arms pulled her to her feet, she stumbled and fell. Her mind was on her worry, completely. Had he not caught her, she would have fallen into the mud again, though likely she would not have even noticed.   
  
"I promised I'd take care of Tekka. I wanted a child someday, but not yet!"   
  
"You promised? Where, exactly, did he come from, anyway?"   
  
Rouge sighed as they began to walk again, this time much more slowly. "I hate that question, because no one believes the true answer. He isn't mine; he was a friend's. My friend had him before she got married, but she found out soon after that she was dying from a horrible disease. Her family ignored her because of Tekka, so she begged me on her deathbed to raise him. That's where he came from, and the honest truth, believe it or not."   
  
Knuckles was so suprised at her answer that all he could manage was a soft, "I believe you."   
  
**Tell me that we belong together Dress it up with the trappings of love I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above**   
  
"So," he said presently, "it's not yours."   
  
Her quick shake of the head confirmed his fears to the negative, and he sighed, relieved. She glanced at him, and for the first time that long night, he noticed how tired her azure eyes seemed. The lids drooped heavily as she turned her head back to focus those weary eyes on him.   
  
"I'm sorry I got you into this mess. I should ahve dealt with it myself," she said, making it a point to continue to walk.   
  
They walked together silently for a few more paces before he spoke up, harsh at first but growing ever softer.   
  
"No, Rouge. You don't have to be sorry for anything. You didn't do anything wrong, and tekka shoudln't be your problem. You took him in out of the goodness of your heart, and that proves that your kindness is the only reason you've been saddled with so much responsibilty. You're very kind, Rouge..."   
  
She had begun to cry as he spoke, and she sat down on a nearby fallen tree branch, burying her face in her hands. He shuffled his feet, unsure of how to react to her tears. A moment later, some deep instinct surfaced inside him, and he moved over beside her. Slowly he put his arms around her, hoping she would allow him to try to comfort her. She not only allowed, but also gratefully accepted this gesture, to the extent of leaning over onto his shoulder, crying many months of pent-up tears into his fur, as he held her tightly in the rain and sleet.   
  
**I'll be your crying shoulder I'll be love suicide I'll be better when I'm older I'll be the greatest fan of your life**   
  
Moments passed as they sat there. Knuckles winced as the sleet beat against him, but he would not dare move as long as Rouge needed him there. He had never seen her cry before, or even come close. He wasn't about to make her stop, now that she was finally letting out all that anger and sadness.   
  
He let his mind wander back to their many adventures of the previous year. So many things had happened to the both of them that he thought he could face anything, and he would have thought the same about her. He did not think her weak for crying; many times he himself had cried in private. On the contrary, he thought her brave for letting herself cry in front of him.   
  
So many things they had to suffer through...he was certain that little Tekka's existance only bore down harder on her. She needed someone to help her with that burden. At that moment, he would have readily offered himself for the job of helping her.   
  
As they sat there, the sleet began to slow down. As the few remaining sheets turned to rain, Rouge wiped her eyes sowly.   
  
"Thank you so much," she whispered.   
  
He, too, was quiet when he replied, "I think you'd been needing to do that for quite awhile now."   
  
She smiled at him. "I'm really glad you came to visit."   
  
"So you're glad I was lonely out of my mind?"   
  
She laughed, standing up and winking good-naturedly. "I guess so!"   
  
**I've dropped out Burned up Fought my way back from the dead Tuned in Turned on Remembered the things that you said**   
  
She stood there a moment, thinking.   
  
"You're thinking again. I wish you wouldn't, you always look so tense when you think."   
  
She shook her head. "This time I'm just thinking...about my future, rather than my past. What kind of future do I have with a child, so young myself? And with a story so unbelievable as mine?"   
  
He stood next to her. "I believe your story...and I'd like to part of your future."   
  
Her eyes widened as he moved in closer to her, and she felt her face flush hot pink as he leaned in towards her. In a sudden momnt, they shared a kiss as the last raindrops fell around them. Though the chilly night was waning to dawn, the two of them were perfectly warm and contenct wrapped in each other's love.   
  
As they pulled away, Rouge had to tear her eyes from him to witness the miracle behind them. Even though it was the dead of winter, a single, solitary lightning bug was flying slowly toward them. Every few seconds it would glow, looking for all the world like it was a balmy July evening.   
  
"A lightning bug," Rouge breated, "in the middle of winter."   
  
"A miracle," Knuckles agreed. "Because we're in love."   
  
A small giggling noise drifted to their ears, and Rouge instantly recognized the sound.   
  
"Tekka!" she cried.   
  
The voice giggled, "Rougey kissed for the lightning bug!"   
  
**I'll be your crying shoulder I'll be love suicide I'll be better when I'm older I'll be the greatest fan of your life**   
  
In a flash, Knuckles had scaled the nearby tree, complete with the small creature's fuzzy blanket. In a moment he was back down with Tekka clinging to his back.   
  
"Oh, Tekka! Don't ever do that again!" Rouge grabbed the child and hugged him tight.   
  
Tekka peered up at Knuckles. "You're nice," he stated matter-of-factly.   
  
"Er, thank you," he grinned awkwardly.   
  
"You might be seeing more of him, so I'm glad you like him," Rouge told Tekka. She put him down and took her hand in his left and Knuckles's in his right.   
  
Together they walked hand-in-hand back to Rouge's house, as the miracle lightning bug danced on the wind in their wake.   
  
**Oh, the greatest fan of your life**   
  
  
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Don't forget to reveiw!! Not bad for a first Sonic fic, ne? Flames are used to make s'mores.   
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